Many Leaders

Today, I read Proverbs 28:2 in my morning reading. (I read, usually, the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds with the date, and I rotate translations to keep me from reading to deep of a rut in it.) What is Proverbs 28:2? Well, if the RefTagger is working, all you have to do is hover the link, it'll show. Here it is in ESV:

When a land transgresses, e it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue. Proverbs 28:2 (ESV)

Here it is in NIV:
² When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order. (Proverbs 28:2 NIV)

Polish:
Dla przestępstwa ziemi wiele bywa książąt jej; ale dla człowieka roztropnego i umiejętnego trwałe bywa państwo (Proverbs 28:2, Gdansk Bible, from multilingualBible.com)

I see the obvious implications here, for our nation, for the nations of the world, that many countries, including our own, do not have stable leadership. We are fractured under many rulers, many princes (NASB), many people to whom we claim allegiances, and our land is falling apart.

But that's not my point today. My point is, how might this apply into the Southern Baptist Convention? Yes, non-SBC readers, I'm on an SBC kick right now. We've got some issues in the house that need cleaned up, and for the handful that listen to me, I'll bring them up. Hopefully have some lighter fare tomorrow, like the return of Random Observations!

How many people claim to speak for Southern Baptists these days? We have voices crying out all over the Convention, many of which seem to be in disagreement.

I think we need to examine rather part of our problem is that we have princes in the first place. The SBC is supposed to be a bottom-up organization. Yet, we have various groups and individuals that want to direct what every church does. It's moving past being 'encouraged' to consider things to a point where we are truly developing a hierarchy as Southern Baptists.

That's not good. We're at a point that we're having to cut missions forces, because of budget issues, yet we're consistently hearing, not encouragement or challenges, but near beatings from nationally prominent SBC leaders that we're all failing, that our churches are useless, and so on.

It's really no wonder we're starting slip. We're being told that we're a failure as churches by this multitude of princes, and we're believing it.

Instead, we need to focus on the second half of that verse: but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue. We need to focus on a man of understanding. We need to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Doug